Virgin America airlines founder Sir Richard Branson beams at a reception before the airlines' inaugural flight to Toronto at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, June 29, 2010.
Ran on: 06-30-2010
In addition to Virgin America, Sir Richard Branson is also working on Virgin Galactic, a space ship travel project, and Virgin Oceanic, submarine travel.

This holiday season is shaping up as a challenging one at two Bay Area media outlets.

Earlier this week, the San Francisco Examinerlaid off a number of newsroom staffers, just two weeks after the 146-year-old newspaper was taken over by a Canadian consortium.

The paper's new publisher and president, Todd Vogt, confirmed the layoffs but would not disclose the numbers, saying it was "an internal matter."

The cuts did not come as a complete surprise. Soon after the Examiner was taken over by Canada's Black Press Group, Vogt said publicly that layoffs were likely.

"We want the paper to remain a quality product, but to do that we have to remain in business," Vogt told SF Weekly. "Unfortunately, it's coming at that time of the year with the holidays."

The Examiner, which has undergone three changes of ownership since Hearst Corp., publisher of The Chronicle, sold it in 2000, claims a circulation of 190,000.

Help wanted: Meanwhile, a Bay Citizen reporter has been pitching via e-mail for donations to the online publication launched 18 months ago with a $5 million investment from San Francisco financier Warren Hellman.

The pitch is part of a drive to raise $50,000 by Dec. 31. Half of the amount would be matched by a donation from First Republic Bank, according to Bay Citizen's website, which prominently features the drive.

Editor in Chief Steve Fainarucautioned not to read too much into the reporter's solicitation. "Like a lot of nonprofits this time of year, we've got a fundraising campaign going, as we did last year," said Fainaru. "It's nothing more than that."

CEO Lisa Frazier, who announced in October she was stepping down, said then that Bay Citizen, which reportedly raised $17.5 million since 2009, was "in a strong financial position."

Getting warmer: With climate change having fallen off the nation's political agenda, what is California, the nation's leader in the battle, doing about it?

An invitation-only event today, hosted by Gov. Jerry Brown, may provide some answers. Topics include the economic impact of global warming on the state, and how to protect California communities from its effects.

Now what? On the subject of Occupy, the Commonwealth Clubis hosting what should be a lively "Let's Talk Occupy" event this evening in San Francisco.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is one of the scheduled attendees, alongside an organizer of Occupy Oakland and an Occupy Wall Street leader piped in via Skype from New York.

Following the two-hour panel discussion, beginning at 7 p.m., "we'll get our own Occupy on, with a breakout discussion and resolution reception." Afterward, breakout groups will report back to the full assembly "in Occupy's general assembly fashion," according to the evening's organizers.